Meet Tom

TTom Sullivan has built his life around service—to his country, his community, working families, and the people of Colorado.

The son of two U.S. Air Force veterans, Tom spent much of his childhood moving around the world before his family settled in Rochester, New York. After graduating from high school, Tom followed in his parents’ footsteps and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1974. He served as a crew chief on KC-135 aircraft until his honorable discharge in 1977.

A year later, Tom married his high school sweetheart, Terry. In 1980, they made Colorado their home. Tom worked several jobs across the Denver metro area before beginning a nearly 30-year career with the United States Postal Service in 1986. While working full time, he used the GI Bill to earn his degree from Metropolitan State College of Denver in journalism and accounting.

Tom became active with the American Postal Workers Union, serving as a shop steward and three terms as Secretary-Treasurer of the Aurora Local. He also helped launch the award-winning Aurora News newsletter. Those years gave Tom a firsthand understanding of the challenges working families face and the importance of having a strong voice in the workplace.

Tom and Terry started their family in 1985 and moved to what is now Centennial in 1992. Their children, Alex and Megan, attended Cherry Creek Schools and graduated from Grandview High School.

On July 20, 2012, Tom and Terry’s lives changed forever. Their son Alex was celebrating his 27th birthday with friends and coworkers at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora when he was one of 12 people murdered in the theater shooting.

In the years that followed, Tom turned his grief into action.

He became a tireless advocate for victims of crime, veterans, working families, and commonsense gun violence prevention. He spent countless hours at the Colorado State Capitol testifying before legislative committees and advocating for policies to make communities safer. He also worked alongside victims’ rights organizations, law enforcement, veterans, organized labor, and families whose lives had been forever changed by violence.

Tom never set out to become a politician. He ran for office because he believed the voices of everyday Coloradans—and especially those who had experienced tragedy, struggled to make ends meet, or felt ignored by government—deserved to be heard at the Capitol.

In 2018, Tom became the first Democrat elected to represent Colorado House District 37. During his two terms in the State House, he helped pass Colorado’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law and championed legislation supporting victims of crime, veterans, workers, and families.

In 2022, Tom was elected to the Colorado State Senate, where he represents Senate District 27. As a State Senator, he continues to fight for safer communities, strong public schools, affordable housing, workers’ rights, veterans, access to mental health care, reproductive freedom, and an economy that works for Colorado families.

For Tom, public service has never been about a title. It is about showing up, listening, and using the experiences of his life to make a difference for others.

From his service in the Air Force and decades as a postal worker to his advocacy after Alex’s murder and his work at the State Capitol, Tom has spent his life standing up for people who deserve a voice.

Now, he is asking the people of Senate District 27 for the opportunity to continue that work.

Join Tom and help keep a fighter for Colorado families in the State Senate. Volunteer today.